


Secrets on the Breeze (alternate ending)

by httydfreakforever



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Emotional, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 05:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2138637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/httydfreakforever/pseuds/httydfreakforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wind is concerned for Jack's well-being. So she goes to see an old friend who she hopes can help. However, more things are revealed than she had anticipated. Words are exchanged, bonds are strengthened, fun is had. An alternate ending to a story by my friend Safaia Bara on fanfiction . net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets on the Breeze (alternate ending)

Her boy was being difficult again. Even after 300 years, he was still as stubborn as when he had first risen from the lake; just like a rebellious teenager. Wind was at her wits end; the child just wouldn't see reason. Apparently it was time to bring out the big guns.

Now, Jack Frost wasn't Wind's only companion. It had been a long time since she had confided in her old friend, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It wasn't too hard to find him. Although following the golden tendrils of Dreamsand didn't hurt.

Mansnoozie had a peaceful, sleepy smile on his face as she drew closer and brushed through his hair and across his face in a warm greeting. The smile was quickly replaced with a frown as Wind whirled urgently around him, explaining the problem to him. He looked off into the direction that Jack seemed to be and sighed before heading off into the opposite direction. If he was going to confront the youngest Guardian about this problem, he was going to need some backup.

O_O

It was close to midnight as Jack hovered over a city in northern Massachusetts, buried in almost half a foot of snow. He yawned and tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe the exhaustion out of his eyes. Only one more week and he could take a nice, month-long nap. But first, he had a job to do.

As he began his trek north to the next destination, a large gale of wind pushed him eastward and dropped him in the middle of a grassy field with a soft 'thump'.

"Ouch! Hey, Wind, what was that for?" his asked, rubbing the shoulder he'd landed on. Wind curled around him in comfort and apologies. Jack let out a half-smile, "I forgive you, but why did you bring me here?" He glanced around the meadow in silent awe.

GoogleThe ground was covered in a thick blanket of fresh snow, no blemishes or imperfections to be found anywhere. The surrounding trees' limbs held icicles, some of them nearly reaching the ground, that shimmered in the moonlight. A low voice broke the calm and made Jack start.

"'Ello, Jack. Nice night, isn' it?"

Jack spun around and grinned, "Hey, Bunny. What's up? Isn't it a bit chilly for you around these parts?" He settled his staff straight down in the snow and jumped atop it, crouching on its crook with ease. Bunny blinked.

"Impressive move, Frost. How'd ya do tha'?"

"Years and years of practice."

A shove from Wind brought Bunny back to the task at hand, "Anyways, there's somethin' we need ta talk abou'."

Jack's back straightened and he cocked his head to the side, "This doesn't include throwing me into that red sack again, does it? That thing really needs to be washed," he asked hesitantly, suddenly eyeing Bunny with trepidation.

"Nah…" he chuckled slowly with a smirk on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest and his nose twitched in anticipation. Apparently, he knew something that Jack didn't. And Jack didn't like that…not one bit.

"Okay…so…what did you want to talk about?" Before he could get an answer, the winter sprite felt himself drifting off. A pair of furry arms caught him around the waist seconds before he could land face-first in the snow. A trio of Dreamsand dolphins began circling above his head performing flips and tricks.

"Dolphins, huh?" Bunny quipped to Sandy, who stood on a sand-cloud ten feet above his head. Sandy just shrugged in response, "Well, let's get 'im back ta the Warren. We'll get the answers outta 'im later."

O_O

It was less than two hours later when Bunny and Sandy burst into Jack's room at the Warren to find the boy tossing and turning, yelling and pleading. The sheets had been kicked to the ground, along with the pillow, and his head was thrashing back and forth. The Dreamsand above his head was no longer the bright gold it once was; the scene playing above the winter sprite's head was gray, but not quite black. The two older Guardians shuffled closer and Bunny's ears dropped at the sight of the dream.

A Sand-Bunnymund towered over Sand-Jack, a f*** paw raised in the air, ready to strike. The sand shifted, and the Sand-Bunnymund had his back turned as he walked away, Sand-Jack on his knees calling out to him. The scene changed again, this time picturing a Sand-Pitch snapping Sand-Jack's staff over his knee and Sand-Jack falling to the ground in a crumpled heap. The real Pooka felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to look into the very angry eyes of the Sandman.

"Why are ya lookin' at me like tha', mate?" he asked, shuffling uncomfortably. Sandy pointed to the sand images again and crossed his arms, lifting a brow expectantly, "Wha'? He's just havin' a nightmare." Sandy shook his head. Bunny tilted his head in sighed. He formed a mini image of himself over his head and crossed it out with an "x".

"S'not a dream?"

Sandy shook his head again and created a picture of Pitch and crossed it out.

"S'not a nightmare, either?" Another shake, "Then wha' is it?"

The Sandman thought for a moment before forming a Sand-tooth above his head.

"A…a memory?" Sandy nodded with a glare. He pointed to the sand above Jack's head again, then back to Bunnymund, a question mark hanging over his own head. The Pooka looked away, ashamed, "It happened on Easter last year…when we fought Pitch…" And so Bunny relayed the story of their confrontation with Jack, how he had vanished, then returned later with his teeth in hand; how they had shunned him and sent him away, and how he'd returned that night to help save their yanked on Bunny's ear, golden sand-steam fuming from his own ears. An image of Pitch glowed above his head, followed by a question looked back at Jack, his sand counterpart still collapsed on the ground, shaking, the broken pieces of his staff laying close by. Sand-Pitch was nowhere to be found.

"I…I dunno. I never knew Pitch broke 'is staff," he winced, "had I known…"

Both Guardians looked back at the sleeping boy. Sanderson floated over to him and touched the sand of his memories, turning it back to Dreamsand dolphins dancing over his head. Bunny draped the blankets over him and gently stuck the pillow under his head. A small smile graced the sprite's face as his eyes slowly fluttered let out a wide yawn and stretched, hearing various body parts crack and pop. Sitting up, he scratched the back of his head and looked around, jumping a little when he saw two figures standing over him.

"Bunny? Sandy? What's going on?" he yawned again, but paused mid-yawn at the distressed looks on their faces, "What's the matter?"The two older Guardians glanced at one another, and Sandy made a picture of 'z's above his head.

"Frostbite, when was the last time ya slept?"

Jack was shocked at the question. 'How did they know?' The winter spirit laughed it off and shook his head, "What was I doing a few minutes ago?"

"Before tha'."

"I had a nice little catnap the other day."

Bunny groaned in irritation and Sandy still stared at him in shock.

"We're serious, Jack. When was the last time ya had a good night's sleep."

"Uh…I think it was sometime around…Thanksgiving…"

Both Bunnymund and Sandy's jaws dropped.

"Uh…Fro-frostbite…ya know it's almost March, don' ya?"

"Yeah?"

"Bloody hell, Jack! That's almos' three months!"

"So?" Jack's voice shook a little, but he shrugged it off. Bunnymund was starting to get irritated with the back and forth, one word answers. Jack looked away from the overgrown rabbit and his eyes landed on a very guilty looking Sandman. The winter sprite sighed, "Don't look like that, Sandy. It's not your fault. I've just been really busy lately. Besides, you have to look after the children all over the world. It's common sense that you'd be too busy- mph"

A hand made of Dreamsand covered Jack's mouth mid-sentence. Sandy shook his head and images began appearing above him: a mini Sandman, a group of tendrils of Dreamsand circling the world, a child in a bed, an 'x', a snowflake, and a heart. Jack tilted his head to the side in wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulder, his voice was somber,

"He's sayin' tha' it doesn' matter how busy he is with the other children. No matter wha', he should've realized tha' ya weren' sleepin' properly and done somethin' 'bout it." Sandy smiled sadly and hand dissipated and Jack looked between the two of them,

"Why?"

Bunny and Sandy blinked owlishly for a moment before the heart above Sandy's head tripled in size.

"'Cause, Snowflake, he loves ya. We all do."

A blank look crossed Jack's face. Love. He'd heard the word, knew the definition, but never really understood the Guardians loved cared about worried for wanted him around.

A warm feeling spread through his body, starting in his chest. It was a fluttering feeling that made him feel lighter than he had in years. A blue tinge covered his cheeks, not out of embarrassment, but pure happiness.

"Frostbite, ya feelin' okay?" Bunnymund and Sanderson were starting to become concerned. Jack's face was flushed and he looked like he was in some kind of daze, "Ya ain't comin' down with somethin', are ya?" Bunny pulled away to get a better look at him. Jack shook his head and smiled, a genuine, happy smile,

"No, I'm fine. Better than fine actually." The guardians gave him confused looks.

(This is where my ending starts.)

Jack sighed. "It's just that I've been alone for so long, and now, I have a family who loves me. I-I just, in all my 300 years as Jack Frost, I never thought that I would have all the things that I have now, it's just so overwhelming that at times, I wonder if I'm dreaming and that someday, I'm going to wake up and go back to being the Jack Frost that nobody believes in." A slow tear rolled down Jack's face.

"Oh Jack," Bunnymund said, sitting down onto the bed and pulling Jack into his lap. "This isn't a dream mate, and we're always gonna be there for yah, yah ankle-biter."

Jack grinned through the tears and wrapped his arms around the pooka, nestling his face into the soft fur. "Thank you guys, so much," he whispered.

They waited until he had fallen asleep before stepping outside.

"The poor larrikan, we should have been there for him," Bunnymund said quietly.

Sandy said something that was either "Yes we should have," or "Well we're here for him now."

And Aster decided that he was going to make it up to the teenager.

When Jack woke up he was surprised to find that there were a bunch of Bunnymund's eggs sitting around him, but he was glad that someone cared about him.

He didn't know if he would ever truly get used to being seen and believed in, but he knew that as long as he had the other guardians, that he would be okay.


End file.
